Singed
by R.J.North
Summary: Five years. It had been five years and the plan was finally put into place. Will it work? Cody hoped so. Otherwise it had been a waste of five years of her life. How will the others react? Will they even find out? In a way, Cody did and didn't want them to know. She missed them, but she didn't want to reopen wounds. Will she even be able to rejoin them after all of this? Guidance 2
1. Chapter 1

Elite Eight: Erik, Paul, Noah, _Hector, Tony_, Shawn, Sam and Jared.  
In the end everything will be all right. So if it isn't all right, then it is not yet the end.

Chapter 1

A New Chapter

Cody took a deep breath in and slowly let it out. She was sitting with her legs crossed on a pillow. Her hands resting on her knees. All she was focused on was her breathing. In, out. In, out. Concentrating was a key factor that the girl had to make sure she had. It could be the one thing that made her lose control over her powers and get not only her hurt or killed, but her teammates hurt or killed as well.

Sitting in front of her was a single, long thin candle. As she breathed in, the flame died down, but when she breathed out, the flame would grow larger. Every time she inhaled and exhaled, the flame would grown and shrink. However, she didn't watch it do it. Her pale green eyes were closed. She did know that it was taking place though.

There was a knock on her door, but it didn't disrupt her concentration. She kept breathing. _In, out. In, out_. She heard the door open, but she didn't look up. She didn't really care who was there. All she was thinking about was her breathing. _In, out. In, out_.

"P-07," a man's voice said. "The Master requested your presence."

_More like demands it_, Cody thought. She opened her eyes and sighed. Cody waved her hand over the candle and made the flame go out without blowing on it or touching it. Standing up, she looked at the scientist in her doorway and said, "I'm coming."

Cody followed the scientist down several corridors in the underground facility they were in. The lab and training facility was a secret to most people. The only people who knew it was there were a small group of beings, the scientist workers and the test subjects. Cody happened to be one of those test subjects. That was what the man had called her, P-07. P-07 stood for Project-Seven. There were six other people before her that were a part of the same experimental group she was in.

The Master, an older balding man with a long white beard sat on a small pillow - just like the one she had in her room - in the training dojo as she entered. The man that they all called _Master_ was greatly hated by Cody. At first when she was younger, she looked up to him. However, he put her through so much pain and misery. She would never _forget_ it. He also put her through painful tests that were unsafe.

That was how she became a Pyrokinetic. Pyrokinesis was the ability to control and create fire. That was how she controlled the flame as she meditated. She did love her ability, but how she got it was something she wasn't proud of. They told her that she volunteered for the testing and that she had lost her memory in the process. However, though she had been foggy on things for a couple months, she remembered exactly how everything went down.

Cody had been kidnapped and forced against her will to become one of them once more. This time, she had abilities. They all thought that she had amnesia _again_. But she didn't. She just plaid that card. She figured she could end up being more useful that way.

Cody bowed down on the floor in front of her "_Master_." She stayed like that since she had to wait for him to say, "Rise." She did so, placing her hands in her lad as she sat on her knees. She wore a blank expression as she stared at him, waiting for him to tell her why he called her there. Really, she didn't want to be around him at all.

"I believe you are ready," Master said.

"Ready for what, Master?" she asked, her tone showing no emotion.

"I believe you are ready to start missions with the others," he said. The "_Others_" were the other projects. Generally, Cody didn't associate with them often, only during training. Other than that, she hated to be around them. They were annoying, rude, and obnoxious. Master told her they all used to be best friends. And at one point, they kind of had been. However, she knew the truth. She particularly stayed away from Erik.

"What kind of mission, Master?" Cody asked.

"The eight of you are to retrieve a very important ancient artifact from a museum that was stolen from me a very long time ago. It's about time I get it back," Master answered.

The eight of them. Six of them were from the original Elite Eight; Erik, Paul, Noah, Shawn, Sam and Jared. There had been another to join though. His name was Rich. She didn't fully know his back story, but he was almost as bad, if not equally as bad as Erik.

"What artifact is it?" This was starting to catch her attention. However, not exactly for the reason he was thinking. _Steeling?_ Cody thought. _What is it that he wants? Something is up with this. Master never wants just anything. It has to be important._ It wasn't sitting well with her, but she wasn't letting them know that was how she was feeling. _And I sure as hell don't like it_.

"You and the others will be debriefed as you get ready to leave. Lucas," he said, calling over a young man from the side.

Lucas was taller than Cody was. He was skinny and wasn't one of the stronger types. He was one of the scientists that conducted the experiments on Cody and the others. However, unlike the other scientists in the place, he actually cared about how the girl was. He constantly would ask her if she was okay. She had told him, several years before that she had all of her memories. He kept that secret for her. He'd have a fate worse than death if they found out what he was keeping from them.

"…Will show you to where your uniform is," Master finished.

"Thank you, Master," Cody said, bowing before getting up to follow Lucas.

Once they were out of earshot of Master, Lucas looked at the girl and said, "How are you, Cody?"

"As well as I can be in my situation, I suppose," the girl replied.

The two turned into a room with several different crates. Lucas pulled the top off one and pulled out was a typical all black ninja outfit. It consisted of the black mask that completely covered her face, long pants and sleeves, and the black belt that went around the waist. He handed it to her and then continued further into the room. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Without removing her eyes from her new uniform, Cody replied with, "Of course. I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

"Even more sure than when you became Phoenix?" he asked.

"Yes."

"More so than breaking that guy out of prison?"

"Hector? Yes."

"Even more than when you decided to stay on this side instead of going back over to your friends."

That got her. Cody stopped following Lucas and glanced up at the male. He pushed up his glassed that hid his crystal blue eyes and cleared his throat. "_I_ have to be positive that _you're_ positive. You're not the only one risking your life doing this. I am too."

"I know," Cody said, glancing down at the clothes in her hands. "I've got to do this, Lucas. It's almost been five years since I've been gone. I can't just show up out of the blue and expect everything to be okay. These five years have to have a purpose."

"Even if it makes you the enemy?" Lucas asked.

"It's better none of them know who I am," Cody said. "I'm not opening up old wounds."

"They're going to try and throw you in jail or kill you, you know that, right?" he sounded concerned for the woman.

"Of course I do," she said. "I was on that side before. I know exactly what they feel. I know how they think. What they'll most likely plan."

"Are you sure you'll be able to do this? You can't hold back on them. You could really hurt someone," he pressed.

"Lucas, there's no changing my mind. I'm going through with this and that's final," Cody answered.

"As long as you're sure," he said. He turned back around and continued walking. Cody was following close behind. Neither of them spoke until Lucas stopped by one last crate. He opened the electronic lock by showing the bar code to the scanner. It opened and he quickly pulled out a black bag. The container was shut even quicker than it was opened. "I'll erase the logs of your stuff later."

"Is this what I think it is?" Cody asked, looking at the bag in her hands, resting on top of the clothing that had been handed to her earlier.

"Yeah," he answered.

Cody turned and placed the bag and clothes on the crate next to her. Opening the black bag, Cody saw several things. A wallet, a small jewelry box, a couple folders, text books, two cell phones and a set of keys. There was also her tanto and Phoenix uniform. The last thing she saw was one of her steel feather's that had once changed her hair color from brown to red. However, only one out of two were there.

Pulling out the feather, she held it in her hand and felt a pang of sadness. She remembered so many missions that she had gone on with those. She remembered how they had saved her life at her house before it blew up. But there were two. Where was the second?

"There was only one that we found. The other must have gotten lost or left at the scene," Lucas said.

The scene. The scene in which Cody has been kidnapped. She hadn't stepped into that office since that night. Really she hadn't gone many places at all. Cody had been able to go out for a small walk. She had been able to go out to get food; to go to the coffee shop or bar down the road. In doing so, she had been able to watch the news. She had been keeping tabs on her old hero friends and things like her company.

Wendy had become the real CEO. Though when Cody went to the bank, there was still money going into them – the only reason she knew that was because Lucas and her hacked into the bank to see. Just like when Cody had been CEO. She didn't know why that was. Maybe someone was trying to get her to use them to track her; to see if she was alive or not. Or maybe Ms. Wright didn't think Cody was really dead.

Cody didn't know.

Putting the clothes in the bag, Cody turned to look up at Lucas. "Thanks, Lucas. This means a lot to me."

"I figured you'd like it back. I know we don't have your sword, but-"

"This is more than I could ask for," Cody interrupted. "Thank you."

Lucas cleared his throat uncomfortably and in an embarrassed fashion. "You should go get changed. You're supposed to go meet up with Erik soon."

"Will do," Cody said. She stuck her hand out to shake Lucas's. In doing so, he slipped something into her hand. With that, the woman turned to leave. The woman quickly made her way to her room.

Placing the bag on her bed, Cody pulled out her black uniform and changed into it. However, on the strap on the leg that kept things like ninja stars and kunai knives, she strapped on her tanto behind it. That way she still had it with her. In that pouch, Cody also slipped in the feather. Just in case she needed it, she'd have it. Everything was in place, except for her mask.

Cody looked into the mirror as she put her hair up. Her hair has gotten even longer in the past year. She had let it go, losing track of the time. She had been focusing on her training even more than before. It was shocking to even her at the capability of what she could do. Nobody had seen her secret training sessions, so not even the rest of the group knew.

Her hair wasn't the only thing to change either. The woman's pale green eyes seemed to have grown darker than they were before. It wasn't in the color, it was in the light of them. They didn't seem so easy going anymore. When she had been a teenager – now being twenty-one, going on twenty-two in a month – Cody had seen more good around her. Now that she had been stuck around the assassins, Master and the cruel scientists, Cody couldn't always do that. It had been a long time since she smiled either.

Her pale skin seemed to be even paler. She had grown even taller too. Though she wasn't tall as a teenager, she had grown more since she was seventeen. It was only about two or three inches though. Nothing too overwhelming. It wasn't just simply whelming though.

She was no longer a girl. She was a woman. Her figure had grown even curvier and her features had changed more into that of a woman. Her skin looked even smoother, her lips pink and red. Her lashes even longer. She was beautiful, though she would protest heavily to that.

Sighing, the woman turned and headed out of the room. She turned down several hallways until she arrived at the loading docks. There were the seven other people on their team. Erik, Paul, Noah, Shawn, Sam, Jared and Rich. None of those people were people she'd want to associate herself with. She didn't have much choice in the matter though.

As the woman approached, Paul turned to her and said, "Get in the van. We'll fill you in as we go."

Cody nodded her head and climbed into the van behind Rich. In the front were Paul, who was driving and Shawn in the passenger's seat. Phoenix was stuck in the middle seat in the middle row. On her left was Rich and on the right was Erik. In the very back were Sam, Jared and Noah. It was another minute before they started off onto the road.

"Where are we going?" Cody asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Rich muttered.

_Yes, I would. That's why I asked_, Cody thought, rolling her eyes. "Paul, where are we going?"

"Gotham Museum of Antiquities," Paul answered.

_Gotham. That's where Dick and Bruce are_, Cody thought. _If anybody's going to discover that we've broken into a museum to steal something, it's bound to be Batman and Rob- Uh, Nightwing_. Cody didn't know why he changed personas. She was gone for that. _Maybe even Robin and Batgirl_.

"What are we stealing?" she asked.

"Some knife thing," Jared said.

"It's an Egyptian Dagger," Paul corrected.

Cody asked, "What's so important about this dagger?"  
"The shiv's made out of gold," Sam said excitedly.

Cody rolled her eyes and looked back to the front to Paul. "Paul, what's the real reason."  
Paul had always been the calculating on. He had to know everything about the mission that he and the others were getting into. Plus, he had to know more than anybody else around him. He liked to be a know-it-all.

He chuckled and said, "Legend say that the dagger is able to open portals to another time."

"Pff," Erik sounded. "Like that's true."

"You never know," Cody said.

Placing his hand on her thigh, rather close to her privates, Erik said, "Don't tell me you believe in that?"

Smacking his hand away, making sure to cause pain, Cody replied with, "I'm open to anything. I mean, take Doctor Fate, Zatarra," thought she knew that at the moment, they were still the same person, "Zatanna, Wotan, Wizard, Blackbriar, Felix Faust and Klarion, the Lord of Chaos. They all use magic."

"You actually believe that this dagger can control portals?" Jared asked.

"I never said that," Cody said. "I'm just saying that if it can, I wouldn't be shocked. Nothing really shocks me anymore."

"Freak," Rich muttered.

_Maybe I am, but that's better than being just like you_. "Anyways, what's the game plan?"

"We're all infiltrating," Paul said. "However, Sam's going to be the one to extract the object. Cody, Erik and Rich will be right behind him as backup. Noah and Shawn will knock out the security guards. I'll be keeping watch outside with Jared."

"Sounds productive," Cody said. There was no way she'd say, 'Sounds good.' She wasn't happy about stealing, but she was going to do it. "And what if company shows up?"

"You, Erik and Rich are supposed to take care of any unwanted guests," Paul answered.

"Understood," Cody replied.

"And for missions, you're code name is Ember," Jared said.

_Ember, really?_ Cody wasn't impressed. _That's the best that they couple come up with? _"Understood. Do you guys have codenames?"

"We do, but we don't use them," Sam said.

"Why not?" It was times like those that Cody was supposed to play dumb and not know the answer. She already knew that the Team and the Justice League knew their identities. She had been the one to inform them of who they were. But she was "supposed" to have amnesia. She didn't "remember" any of that.

"Don't worry about it," Shawn said from the back.

Shawn was a strange boy indeed. He was very quiet. And for the most part, he was actually a very nice guy. He kept to his-self most of the time and sat back and observed everything. He knew how people worked and usually he could tell, by just looking at someone, if they were lying or hiding something. Cody couldn't tell if he knew that she was lying or not, but if he did, he didn't say anything to anybody. She didn't know why that was.

But his quiet, watchful nature also made him a very dangerous assassin. It was as if he had a switch on him. When it was off, he was calm, nice and kind. But when it was switched on, he was very dangerous. He was dark and deadly. It was shocking how different those two parts of him were. It almost scared Cody more than the others.

Sam was quick with what he did. He could get the job done like _that_. And he didn't seem fazed by it at all. He just did it and maintained that childish personality. Jared got very angry, almost as angry as Erik. He would snap faster too. But he wasn't as strong. Noah was the same as Jared. Paul wasn't much of the killer. He was more the watcher. If he did have to take someone out, it would most likely be by poison or surprise.

Erik was terrifying because he had no boundaries. He got angry and would do anything to get what he wanted. And Rich, though Cody didn't know much about him, was very much like Erik. However, in a way, he seemed more sadistic. There had been rumors and stories going around of things he used to do to his little sister. They were bad thing. Horrible things that a brother should never do to his sister.

By the time they were done discussing the matters for the mission, they had arrived in Gotham City. They had parted quite a ways away from the museum, which Cody completely understood. They didn't want to be too close to the museum in case they were close to getting cause, but not too far so it took forever to make a getaway.

The group made their way to the museum over the roof tops of the buildings surrounding the museum. The first people to infiltrate were Noah and Shawn. Once they knocked out the guards, they informed the rest of the team by signaling through the large glass dome on the top of the building. They were all looking down it to see if they were ready.

Once the signal was given, Cody, Erik, Rich and Sam. Each landed on the ground below with a soft _thud_. When they had been in the van, they had gone over maps and layouts of the museum so they knew exactly where they had to go. Following behind everybody else, Cody made sure nobody was following them. She was their backup seeing as the two boys were with Sam. Cody would be the first one to alert them of something wrong.

And seeing as Noah and Shawn exited after doing their part of taking out the guards, Cody and the other three really were just down there all alone.

It was times like those that made Cody's gut instincts come in handy. That had originally been when tipped her off to other's being there, though at the time, she couldn't figure out _where_ they were. The only thing out of the ordinary, besides them robbing the joint, was little fly that was zooming about.

"Guys," Cody muttered softly. Without taking her eyes away from scanning the area she continued saying, "We've got company."

Erik and Rich chuckled, causing the girl to look over at them with a raised eyebrow. They were looking through an ancient gem case and picking through it. "We're here for the dagger and that's it. Quit screwing around."

"Come on, Ember," Rich said. "You're a girl. You're supposed to like shiny stones." He paused and then added, "Wait, you are a girl, right?"

Erik seemed to get a kick out of that. "She's just a really weird one," he said. "She likes stones, but she'd rather go out and buy it with honest money."

"Something's wrong with her," Rich said.

"Seriously messed up, Girly," Erik muttered.

"Imbeciles," Cody muttered. "You're fooling around when the task at hand is at risk."

"She's really still going on with that?" Rich asked his partner.

"Ember, we're the only people here? Who's going to mess up our mission? That fly?" Erik joked, taking out his sword so he could try to cut the fly in half.

As the fly buzzed straight in the direction of Erik, he raised the sword back to hit it, but in a blink of an eye the fly shifted into a gorilla. The large green gorilla with what looked to be a red and white collar around its neck landed over Erik, taking his sword and throwing it off into the distance.

"Yes, the fly _will_ jeopardize the mission," Cody muttered with a small smirk on her face.

In that instant, Cody's stomach dropped. She spun around just in time to see a young boy around the age of fourteen dropping down from above. The new Robin had his electric bo. He had it pulled back, as if he were swinging a bat. As he followed through, Cody had just enough time to create one of her favorite weapons. She created a whip made out of fire and fire alone. She got it wrapped around his ankle and then threw him across the room.

He wasn't expecting _that_.

In the distance Cody could hear someone yelling, "Chum!" She looked over to see that Rich was no longer fighting the Gorilla with Erik, but now what looked to be a sea creature. Cody stared for a moment. She had never seen anything like it, uh, him before. _The team certainly has got some new and interesting recruits_.

"I got it!" Sam yelled, raising his hand up over his head with the dagger in it, in triumph.

"And now they know that too!" Cody growled. _Do these guys ever think before they act?_

Robin was making his way over to Sam, who immediately after doing what he did realized his mistake. He turned around and bolted for the large dome. Rich tackled Robin to the group, allowing Sam to make his escape. Erik had taken up Rich's place fighting the "Chum." The beastly shifter had been laying on the floor, seeming quite out of it.

Cody walked over to it and knelt down. "You're just a child," she muttered, placing her hand under his chin to turn his head towards her. The woman almost gasped when she saw the kids green face in realization. She leaned in closer to get a better look. "Garfield?" His face, despite being green and rather monkey-ish, was one that she would never forget.

Now, Cody hadn't been talking to anybody. She was just thinking out loud. But when she said the boy's name, he looked up at her. He glared, but was also confused as to why she wasn't hurting him. That how he didn't know how he knew who he was. She sounded so familiar. And her eyes seemed just as familiar as she sounded, but he couldn't figure out who she was either.

"Ember!" Rich yelled, getting her attention. She glanced over her shoulder to see him and Erik walking over to the dome to head out. "Time to make our leave."

Cody sighed and looked back at the young boy before her. He had to be about thirteen now. He had been – what? – eight the last time she saw him. He looked so much older, yet still so young. How did he become like that? Why was he fighting crime? Why was he even in America?

"I'm sorry," she muttered before pinching a nerve, knocking him out. Before she stood up to leave, she made sure the boy wasn't hurt too bad and clenched his hand in her. "I really hope this works, Garfield. For you and me both."

With that, Cody turned and left the museum, hearing sirens off in the distance.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, lookie here. Another chapter. And this one has some familiar faces in it! Anyways, I hope you guys like it and please review. The usualy stuff.  
Thanks go out to people for reviewing the final chapter of Guidance: **_Storygirl99210_**, _**LadyFelton1994, Ivyslade, and Molly grace 16**_.  
Thanks go out to the following for reviewing the first chapter of Singed:  
_**storygirl99210** _- We'll see. ;)  
_**LadyFelton1994** _- Well, this wasn't a very long wait, was it! :D  
_**Guest** _- Well, I hope you like this one then! I liked the second season, but it took a little while to get used to it.  
_**Molly Grace 16** _- You'll pretty much get you're answer in this chapter for where the story's going. There are going to be some twists though.  
_**Nathapril** _- Wow, that's great to hear! You don't get many people like that. And thank you so much. I'm glad to hear that you really like this story. YOU rock. And yes, I have picked who Cody's going to be with. You'll just have to wait and see.

* * *

Chapter 2  
Revelations and Tea

"That went better than I had been expecting," Lucas told the girl after she finished her report on the mission. "It's getting ready for transport. It'll be leaving first thing in the morning." He turned down another hallway and stopped at Cody's bedroom. "Did everything go as you'd hoped?"

Cody shrugged. "I supposed."

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Tired," she answered.

"Cody," he pressed. "What aren't you telling me?"

"A kid that I met back when I was with them, someone we put in danger and then saved, he was there." Cody looked up with her green eyes and leaned back against the doorframe. "I don't understand. Before he had no powers. He was just a regular kind and now he's got power? How is that possible? And having to go against him!"

"It was harder than you thought it'd be," he finished for her.

"I surmised it'd be difficult, but not like this. I mean, he's just a kid, Lucas. He's only thirteen," she said.

"You knew what you were getting into, Cody," Lucas said.

"I know, I know." A sigh escaped her lips. "And I've got to deal with this."

"That's my girl," he said, patting her shoulder. "I'll inform you of what happens later. Right now, you need your rest."

"Yeah," Cody said, turning around and opening her door. "Goodnight, Lucas. See you in the morning."

The door shut behind her. The girl changed out of her all black criminal attire and changed into a pair of jean, a cabby hat and a jacket. Just like she used to before she was taken and the items confiscated from her, Cody put on the locket that Dick had given her for her birthday, along with the ring that Kaldur had given her.

Instead of listening to what Lucas said Cody left her room and headed out into the city with her backpack back in its rightful spot on her back. It was a challenge getting out of the underground base located outside of Gotham. Even after that, it took even longer to get into the city.

Once the girl was in the city, she went to her usual coffee shop that was open twenty-four/seven. Usually she would go early in the morning. Never had she been there this late at night, but it didn't really matter to her. She just needed a cup of her favorite chai tea to calm her nerves and perhaps attempt to calm her mind, though she highly doubted that her mind would ever be calm with the position she was in. To help her though, she also had a book in her bag to help.

"Well, Ms. Cody, what a pleasant surprise!" Webster stated.

Webster, the elderly man who owned the coffee shop that Cody went to whenever she could, was sweet. He was what she imagined her own Grandfather being like, if she could ever remember him. He was a balding man, which dentures, Cody figured. His bright brown eyes always looked at her with much care.

Cody still couldn't remember everything from her past, but most of it she could. It was still difficult to remember things about her parents and her grandparents, but everything else she could remember pretty well. Like Carson, her older brother. She still didn't know what happened to him. She hadn't been able to get in contact with him before she went missing and it was very difficult to continue searching when she was under the rule of Master and the rest of the assassins.

She was beyond worried.

"Good evening," Cody said with a smile. "How are you tonight, Web?"

"I'm doing just fine, thank you, dear. How are you this evening? I don't usually see you until the morning," Web asked, sounding rather concerned.

"It's been a long night," she admitted with a sigh. "I could really use on-"

"A nice hot cup of chai tea," he finished for her. "I'll get that right out for you, dear."

Cody put the money for the drink on the counter. She never excepted change from the man and would always put whatever he gave her into the tip jar. Recently he had just been keeping the whole thing, knowing very well what the girl would do. After doing so, Cody walked over to one of the large comfortable reading chairs left of the counter.

In the rather homey coffee shop were two lounging areas. One to the left of the counter, where Cody was sitting and one on the right. In the middle part of the room, besides the area where the line for the counter would go, were tables and chairs that anyone would find in a coffee shop. The window's were tinted so they wouldn't let in too much light and blind the customers, but enough natural light that it didn't feel like everything was fake.

Cody took out her book and started to read it as she waited for the elderly man to boil the water for her tea. She heard the little bell above the door ring and two sets of footsteps walk in, but the girl didn't look up. She was just concentrating on her book. Though she did listen to their footsteps to make sure they weren't those of anyone from the hideout. She knew what they sounded like just in case she was doing something she wasn't supposed to and she could stop before they caught her. It prevented trouble.

"Mr. Grayson! How nice to see you, as usual. And you brought a Mr. Drake too. How lovely," Webster said to the two arrivals. "I'll be out with your usuals shortly."

Cody's head shot up and her hand instantly went to grasp the locket she was wearing when she heard the name Grayson. Dick. Dick was the only Grayson she knew of, though she figured that there were any Grayson's in the world. However, there _was_ only one Grayson in Gotham. She even checked in the phone book.

And there he was. Richard "Dick" Grayson. Her "Little Bird" was standing at the counter with his hands in his black jacket. He wore a deep blue shirt under said jacket with a pair of simple blue jeans. His signature smirk was plastered on his lips while his blue eyes looked at the man kindly. However, Cody did notice that his eyes were different than she remembered them as well. They weren't as innocent as they were before. She assumed that was acquired through years of doing their line of work. Well, _his_ line of work.

_My Little Bird isn't very little anymore_, Cody thought, looking from the picture in the locket up to the young man who was standing not too far from where she was sitting. Dick had grown. He looked as if he was now taller than Batman himself, though not nearly as dark and gloomy nor intimidating as the Batman. His muscles were also much larger now, though she assumed that was also from being an acrobatic hero. His hair was also longer. It wasn't too long, but longer than how Bruce used to have him cut it.

The boy next to him was Tim Drake, new ward of Bruce Wayne. Tim Drake had once lived with his father, but he had been murdered, said the media. Cody didn't know how or why he became the ward of Bruce Wayne, but she obviously knew he was the new Robin, who called himself Red Robin instead of simply just Robin. It seemed as if they were close and cared about one another.

_Dick_ _always did want siblings_, Cody thought. _How much of your life have I missed out on, Dick_? Cody looked down at the table in front of her sadly, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to roll out of her aging eyes. Cody hadn't cried in a long time. She usually was surrounded by people, dangerous people who would rat her out to Master. And just as Erik had said many years before when he was kidnapping her, Master's punishments were a lot worse now.

_You've got to be almost nineteen now, Little Bird_. That was four birthdays that Cody had missed out on. Four birthdays that she couldn't spend with the person she thought of as a little brother. _I missed you graduating high school. I missed you becoming_ _Nightwing and going on so many missions_ _with you_. _I've missed so many Secret Santa parties and Halloween costume parties_.

Cody shook her head and leaned forward in her chair. She tried to contain a sob, but had to cover it up with clearing her throat. The girl pulled her had a little further down over her face, making sure that Dick, if he so happened to look over, wouldn't be able to tell who she was. _Though he most likely thinks me dead_.

_How would he react if he knew I was really alive and kicking all these years?_ That question had always been in her mind, and not just with Dick. _Would he be angry that I let them think me dead, that I made them feel such pain and loss? Did they mourn over me? Did they miss me?_ Oh, she missed them dearly. _Would they want me back in their lives? Could they trust me? Understand why I'm doing what I'm doing?_

Thinking about all of that made her cry even harder. She hid her face with her hat and her hand. Her shoulder's shook as she remained silent. She had been holding that in for oh so long and as much as it felt good to let it all out, it hurt even more to be asking herself those questions.

"Oh, dear," Webster said as he walked over to her with her cup of tea. "Oh, honey, what's wrong?" He knelt down beside her, wrapping an arm comforting around her shoulders. "Dear, what's come over you? You're usually much happier than this."

_If only you knew_, Cody thought. "It's been a long day," she managed to get out. Her voice sounding rather hoarse.

"Would you like to talk about it?" he asked. Cody just shook her head. "Here," Webster said, handing the girl her cup of tea. "This will make you feel better."

"Thank you, Web," she smile, managing a smile for him.

With that, he walked back over to the counter to get Dick and Tim's orders ready. Cody, not meaning to, overheard what the two were talking about as she sat there, trying to regain her composure. Sometimes she really hated her over trained sense of hearing.

"I wonder what's wrong," Tim said. Cody could feel his eyes on her, but she didn't dare look up and give herself away. "A pretty girl like her shouldn't cry."

"You're such a lady killer," Dick said, getting the younger boy to chuckle and change the topic.

"Why did you bring me here, Dick?" he asked, getting down to a more serious note. His voice lowered, but Cody could still hear him clearly. "Is it about the mission tonight?"

"Yeah," Dick replied. "It didn't go well."

"Trust me, you don't have to tell me that. I was there; I know exactly how it went down. And it wasn't pretty," Tim interrupted.

"I saw the security tapes," Dick informed him. "You guys were going up against some of the best assassins out there. You did everything you were supposed to. Those guys are just in another league."

"I've never seen them before," Tim said. "You know them?"

"Yeah," Dick sighed. "Yeah I do." There was a moment of silence as Webster brought over their order. Once Webster was behind the counter once more, Dick continued. "The blonde one, Erik. He picks a specific nerve with everyone who was on the original team."

"What'd he do?" Tim asked.

"You remember me telling you about Phoenix, right?"

"The girl who was on the team? She died, right? There's a memorial of her at the Cave," Tim said.

_So they do think me dead_, Cody sighed.

"She was originally trained with Erik and the other's that are in his group," Dick informed him. "Her and her brother. Long story short, she was one of us. And one night he kidnapped her. That was almost five years ago, Tim."

"So nobody knows if she's dead or alive," Tim said. "There's a chance she's alive."

"I guess," Dick sighed. "We haven't given up looking, but after five years the odds aren't good. I'm not feeling traught."

Cody almost broke done once more hearing him use his word play. She missed that so much. _My Little Bird, I'm so sorry I've hurt you so much. That I've hurt you all. I can't forgive myself for that_.

"I'm sorry, Dick," Tim said. He cleared his throat, trying to clear the air. "What about the other's that were with him?"

"Sam was the one that took the Egyptian Dagger. He's a part of that original group with Erik. The other guy and girl we know nothing about though."

"That girl, Ember could never have known I was behind her, yet she avoided me like the plague," Tim said. "The only people I've ever seen be able to do that were you, Barbara and the League."

"Phoenix was the one to teach me that," Dick said. Cody could almost hear the smirk in his voice. "Bruce taught me how to use the shadows and to know my surroundings, but Phoenix taught me how to use my gut instincts. That's how I'm able to figure out you're there.

"I don't know who she is, but whoever she is, she's strong and smart. She knew BB's identity. He was really freaked out about that. I'm going to have him lay low for a little while."

"What about the flash drive that Beast Boy got?" Tim asked.

_Beast Boy, is that what Garfield is going by? _

"There was information on the location of the Dagger. It's going to be transported tomorrow and it gives the route being taken."

"How'd he get it?"

"It had to be slipped to him after the girl knocked him out. The only person around him after she did that was _her_. She had to have been the one to give it to us."

"But why? She's with them. She's a bad guy."

"I don't know," Dick sighed. "It could be true and she's trying to help us, or it's a trap."

"It didn't seem like she liked Erik and the other guys very much," Tim observed.

"Naw, Phoenix wasn't too thrilled about him either. He had a thing for her. Really sadistic kind of thing too. She used to do so much to get under his skin. He even dislocated her shoulder once just because she mouthed off to him."

"She sounded like a cool person," Tim said.

"She was, er, is," Dick said.

_He's still trying to believe I'm out there_.

"She really cared about all of us," he said. "She was like the older sister I never had. She looked out for me and I looked out for her. She did that for everyone though. Especially her older brother, Carson. She'd do anything for him. She'd do anything for the people she cared about; even break them out of prison."

There was a moment of silence. _I'd_ _even go undercover for five years, gain back the trust of Master and the others to get information on them for you. I want them put away forever for what they've done to my family. To you guys. To all of the people they've hurt and killed_. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, the now finished cup of tea no longer in her hands.

"Wait," Dick said, as if realizing something.

"What?" Tim asked, curious in the sudden mood change.

"Phoenix would do _anything_ for us. And I mean _anything_."

"So? What does that have to do with any of this?"

_No_, Cody thought.

"There was no way Master would kill her. She was too valuable to him. He'd do _anything_ to keep her and she _knew_ that."

_He_ _couldn't have figured it out already, could he? _

"What are you getting at, Dick?" Tim asked.

"What if Phoenix is Ember? What if she's the one helping us?"

_Shit_, Cody groaned. _I didn't think he'd figure it out_ that _quickly_. Cody got up from her seat and slowly started to make her way across the room and over to the table where Dick and Tim were sitting.

"That's ridiculous," Tim said. "Dick, think about what you're saying. You're letting your hopes of Phoenix still being alive get in the way of your logic."

"Normally I'd agree with the kid on this, but he's wrong," Cody said, sitting down at the table, surprising both of the others. She tilted her hat back, showing her face. "Hello, Dick."

"No," Dick said, wide eyes and head shaking. "It can't be."

"Oh but it can," Cody said. She took off her locket and handed it to him.

"Who are you?" Tim asked.

Dick opened the locket and stared at the two pictures inside of it. On one side was the picture she had taken with him and on the other was a picture of her and Kaldur, almost kissing. It was the picture that Dick had snuck in when they were alone. He looked back up at her, then down at the locket, and up at her once more.

"Cody?" he asked in a whisper.

"Who's Cody?" Tim asked.

"It's really you," Dick stated.

"Of course it's really me, who else am I supposed to be, M'gann?" Cody retorted.

"How does she know M'gann?" Tim asked.

"But you're here. How is that possible?" Dick asked.

"I sneak out every once in a while. I come here a lot. That and the bar down the street when I need something a little stronger than chai tea," Cody answered.

"Why didn't you try and contact us then?" Dick asked.

"It's a complicated situation," Cody answered.

"I'm just going to go ahead and say it's safe to say that you're Phoenix," Tim said. "Am I right, or are you two just going to keep ignoring me?"

Cody looked at Tim for a moment with a soft smile on her face. "He's a smart kid," she said, turning back to look at Dick.

"You have no idea," Dick groaned.

"Hey!" Tim said.

"He reminds me of you when you were younger, though a little calmer," Cody said.

"We need to talk, Cody," Dick said. "And I mean, really get down to everything that's been going on. I need to know."

"I know, why else do you think I came over here? I'm not just popping over to say hello and then leave you hanging," she said.

"Are we sure it's safe to talk about this here?" Tim asked.

"I sweep this place for bugs every week. We're fine," Cody said. "Plus, Webster's partially deaf. He can't hear you unless you're standing right next to or in front of him."

"So talk," Dick ordered.

"Oh, where to begin, where to begin," the girl muttered. "Okay, it answer your questions about who slipped you the flash drive and who Ember is, that's obviously me. And sorry about the smack down that transpired tonight. Wasn't exactly proud of that."

"But how did you gain the ability to control fire?" Dick asked.

"I'll get to that. I just had to state that I'm Ember first," Cody said.

"After I was taken by Erik, I was brought to Master. I was kept in a secure medical wing with guards twenty-four/seven. Once I was all healed, that's when things really started to happen. Erik was right, Master's gotten a lot more brutal over the past several years. I was tortured for a couple months before Master believed I had been properly punished. And again, I was locked in the medical wing until I was properly healed.

"Master's not just associated with hiring out his students anymore. He had scientists and researchers conducting experiments down there and none of it's pretty, let me tell you. Each and every one of us, The Sinister Six, Rich – that's the new guy – and myself have all be subjected to their tests. That's how I became a Pyrokinetic.

"Erik has the ability to control and manipulate air and wind, like Red Tornado. Rich has enhanced strengths. Noah can disintegrate anything he wants by just touching it. Paul is a technopath. Shawn has night and x-ray vision. Sam is a density shifter, like Martian Manhunter and Miss M. And Jared can turn invisible."

"I don't like those odds," Tim muttered.

"It took me about a week to be able to stand after the experiment. And for a short time, about a month or two, I love my memory."

"Again?" Dick asked.

"Yeah, again," she sighed.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that again, Cody," he added.

"Don't worry about it, Little Bird. It wasn't as bad as the last time. The memories came back rather quickly. But I saw having memory problems as a _good_ thing. Well, having Master and everyone else _think_ I had memory problems was a good thing. They still think I can't remember anything that they haven't told me. They think I don't even know I had a brother.

"The only person who knows I remember everything is Lucas. Mr. Lucas Lucia is a scientist that works there. He's the one who's helping me get you guys the information. He's been working with me for the past five years.

"But if you could get out of there, why didn't you come back?" Dick asked, sounding like a fourteen year old boy again.

"Because I saw a lot of possibilities. If they thought I couldn't remember anything, then I could get information on what they were planning on doing and slip it to you guys. It'd be one more step into catching them. And you know just as much as I do that if I escaped, they would have come after me again until they got me again. I couldn't do that again. I can't live on the run anymore.

"So I've been training. It took me a year alone to be able to control my temper, which had gotten substantially more flammable after the experiments. After that, it took another year for me to be able to control my powers and get to where I am today. That's about three years right there, Dick. The rest of it was trying to get information and having them trust me enough to send me out with the others.

"You have no idea how many times I've almost left to come see you guys, but then the last several years would have been for nothing. And only recently have I been able to sneak out."

"Alright, if this is going to work, we need to create a plan," Dick said, getting straight into business.

"Only the three of us will know," Tim said.

"Agreed," Cody said. "If the others knew they'd be hesitant to put their all into fighting me."

"I think we need a means of contact," Dick said. "I can get a phone that's untraceable."

"Yeah," Cody agreed. "And what about the exchange of information? I can't keep slipping it into whoever I happen to be fighting. They'd get suspicious."

"She has a point," Tim said.

"Okay, are you going on the Transport mission with the Dagger?" Dick asked.

"No," Cody replied.

"Okay," he paused to think. "There goes that plan."

"Why don't you give me your address and when I know more about my next mission, I'll drop you off the info on it. Then, when I go on the mission, you can send either you or Tim and we can do the hand off like that. And along with the normal info that'd be on the drive, I'll give you more scheduled things and also time when I'll be out of the base. We could always meet up then."

"That sounds good," Dick said.

Just then, the phone is Cody's pocket started to ring. "You have a phone on you? Can't they track it?" Tim asked.

"They don't know I have one. It's just me and Lucas that use it," she informed the younger boy as she pulled it out. "Hello?"

"Where are you?" Lucas asked frantically.

"Having a cup of tea," she informed him. "Why? Something wrong?"

"The transport starts in two hours," he said. "And if you're not here when it leaves and then it gets intercepted, they'll suspect something. You need to get back here _now_!"

"All right, I'm on my way," she said. She hung up the phone and stood up. "I've got to get back before someone suspects something. I'll get you guys the information later." The girl turned and started to head towards the door, but was stopped by someone grabbing her arm.

"Cody," Dick said, getting her to turn back around. He pulled her into a tight embrace, burying his head in her hair. She hugged him back, missing the feeling of her Little Bird's care. "I'm so glad you're okay. When you disappeared, it nearly tore us all apart."

"I'm so sorry, Dick," she said. "I never meant to hurt any of you."

"I know," he said. He pulled back and looked into her pale green eyes and her into his blue ones. "Be safe."

"You too, Little Bird," she said with a smile. "And don't forget about the interception."

"I've already got a team on it," he admitted.

"I've got to go," she insisted. "I'll see you soon. I promise." Cody turned around and headed towards the door. Once again, she was stopped before she could leave, but this time nobody grabbed her. It was just Dick speaking to her.

"You know we regret that day, right?" Dick asked.

"What day?" Cody asked, looking back across the coffee shop.

"The day you were taken," he clarified. "You told us that you'd ask us for help if you needed it and when you called for help, none of us were there. We promised you we would be, but we weren't."

"I know," she replied. "I don't blame you. I blame myself for not realizing Erik was there sooner. If I had, none of it would have happened."

"Maybe," he sighed. "But we'll never know. And we're sorry, Cody. We can't take back what happened, but I'm going to make sure that we're there for you from now on. I'll get you back home to us one way or another. I promise."

"Thanks, Dick," she said. "And like I said, in the end everything will be all right. So if it isn't all right, then it is not yet the end. I meant that. This isn't the end."


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the wait. I've been helping take care of my grandparents. My grandfather just had heart surgery so I've been busy. I've also been really busy with things for my friend's wedding. I had to paint a bunch of little scene's for the tables for part of the center pieces. That, and school has started up again. Senior year and all… Any who, this is done. Hope you like it. Please review, etc. etc. OH, I also have a poll up. of you want to check that out.

Thanks go out to:  
**_LadyFelton1994_** - You'll just have to wait and see. ;)  
**_storygirl99210_** - Oh, I have plans for that. Don't you worry. ;)  
**_aoa1012_** - Maybe she will, maybe she won't. I'm not telling. Oh, I so can't wait for that reunion!  
**_IceFire_** 27 - She kind of deserves it, doesn't she?  
**_Dove is the Way_** - Awww thank you! I love all of you guys too!  
**_Nathapril_** - I wish I could update more than I do, but life really does get in the way. Most authors use that as an excuse, but it's true. It really does!  
**_Mi-chan1991_** - I hope I didn't make you wait too long.

* * *

Chapter 3  
Task

After slipping back into her room and finally falling asleep, Cody was woken up by someone shaking her. Instinctively, Cody shot up out of bed, grabbing the person shaking her and shoved them face first into the wall. She had their arm forced behind their back and if they made one wrong movie, she could dislocate their arm with one easy pull.

"Cody! Cody, it's me!" the person yelled.

Once the girl came to more, she realized who it was and let go, taking a step back. She ran a hand through her long brown hair and sighed. "Sorry, Lucas. You know you shouldn't wake me like that. I could've really hurt you."

"Like that didn't hurt enough?" he retorted, rolling his shoulder. "This is what I get for working with assassins."

"I'm not an assassin," Cody corrected.

"Whatever!" The girl could tell that he was annoyed. She didn't know if that was because of what she had just done or if it was something else completely. She was sure she'd find out though.

"Is something wrong, Lucas?" she asked. She turned away and went to her dresser to pull out a set of her black uniforms. "You normally don't come into my room. Last time you were in here was right after the experiment and I woke up with my bed on fire; with me still in it."

"Master's not happy," Lucas informed her. "He's ordering a mandatory meeting of the Elite Eight."

"So the plan worked?" Cody asked.

"It went perfectly," he replied with a nervous smile. "A small team of heroes intercepted the transport and took possession of the Egyptian Dagger. They also took the members into custody."

"That's great," the girl exclaimed.

"We've got to get going though," he stated. "Master won't tolerate tardiness."

As Lucas started to exit the room, Cody remembered the events of the night before and quickly stated, "Oh,

I have important information to tell you, but that can wait until tonight."

"All right," he said. "Just hurry up and get ready."

Lucas wasn't the most sociable of people that Cody had ever met. He was one of those people who were so great at what they did – his being science – that that was one of the only things he was really good at. He was a very smart and sweet man, but he didn't know how to talk to people. Cody didn't mind that though, and ever since she started to talk and work with him on their "project," he had gotten a lot better, though he was still rather awkward and would rather spend time in the lab than with people.

Once Cody was done changing, she headed out of her room and went to meet up with Master and the others. She was one of the first people there. She assumed once Master told Lucas to get her that he ran to her room as fast as he could. He was horribly afraid of the man, as he should be. Cody was, but that didn't stop her from going against him, as she was doing. Somehow, though Cody wasn't really sure of how, she had convinced Lucas to work with her, seeing his find heart.

Not too much longer after Cody arrived had the others started to pile into the room. They all knelt before their Master, their heads bowed waiting for him to give them approval to sit up. It took quite a while for him to do so. Cody assumed that making them wait and bow at his command made him feel more in control and more powerful. And seeing as he was angry about the interception, he needed to feel in command and in control.

Cody felt a pang of amusement and excitement being the one to have helped cause the situation of making him feel out of command.

"Rise," Master commanded and the Elite Eight sat up, looking at him confused. "This morning, during the transport of the Egyptian Dagger, a small squad of young _heroes_ intercepted my precious artifact and confiscated it, taking my personnel into custody."

_Yes, yes they did. Thank you very much!_ Cody remained silent with a look of shock and confusion on her face.

"What are you going to do to counter, Master?" Paul asked, sucking up to the Master.

"For the time being we are to do nothing," he answered.

_Well, that wasn't what I expected, but I'll take it!_ Cody thought.

"We have a new mission at hand," he stated. "One that involves something much more precious and valuable than a mere relic," Master went on.

"Master, what is it? Money?" Jared asked.

"Money is disposable," Master stated. "I have no need of stealing more when I have an incoming source that supplies even our most expensive project, treating them like dollar store crafts."

Cody was surprise he even knew what a dollar store was.

"Gold?" Sam asked.

"Jewels?" Noah asked.

"No, nothing of the sort," Master stated.

"Women to do anything and everything we want them to?" Rich muttered to Erik.

"You all think of material goods and ecstasy, when you should be thinking of the cause," Master said.

_Thinking of the cause? What cause? The cause to bring forth havoc and chaos to the world? Isn't that supposed to be Klarion's job?_ Cody had no idea what the cause was, but she did know one that that Master always would say. It was something about material goods distracting the mind, which she had to admit, was very true. But there was also something to do with allies and having more people working with them to make things work smoothing towards the task at hand – which she assumed was the "cause" in this situation.

It was then that Cody got it. "It's a person," Cody stated. Everyone turned to look at the usually silent girl. "You're talking about recruiting another member, aren't you, Master?"

"That is correct, my girl," he said with a smile.

_I'm not your girl and I swear that if you call me that one more time I'll_ –

"How valuable is this person, Master?" Shawn asked, surprising everyone, even Cody. He never spoke in front of Master. _Never_.

"Oh, very useful indeed," Master stated. "Rich, you're very familiar with this person."

"Really?" he asked. "Who is it?"

"Can't you guess?" Master asked.

_Always with the guessing games_. Cody fought the urge to roll her eyes. _Why do the villains either always love guessing games or stating their motive before they kill the hero?_ It made no sense at all. If they didn't do that, then they most likely would actually get something accomplished.

"Not really," Rich stated. "The only person I can think of that could be any use to us at all, fighting wise, is my sister."

Everyone stared at him for a moment. _Is he really that stupid?_ That time, Cody really did roll her eyes. _Of course_ _he was talking about him sister! Who else would he be talking about? _Now, Cody never would have been able to guess that they had been talking about his sister, but when he said that, Cody obviously knew. Rich was just too dumb to realize that, even after stating so, Master _was_ talking about his little sister.

"Oh," he then realized. "Oh, this'll be fun."

"I thought you said that your sister's been missing for several years," Erik asked. "She ran away or something."  
_If_ _I had Rich as a brother, I'd run away too_.

"Your sister has been spotted on the east coast, traveling with a band of misfits," Master stated.

Cody didn't know what he meant when he said misfits because really, they weren't much better. But she shrugged that thought away and continued to listen to what everybody was discussing. She needed to know everything that was going on in order to relay it all to Nightwing when she went to drop everything off at his apartment. That and she needed to know it all for the mission that Master would be sending them on.

"When are they joining us?" Sam asked.

"We'll be collecting them shortly, a few days," Master informed them.

_Well, that'll give me enough time to get all the information and more to Nightwing_, Cody thought.

"How old is she?" Noah asked, his voice hinting to something other than just curiosity.

_You're such a pervert_.

"She's, like twelve now or something," Rich muttered.

"Fifteen," Master corrected.

_That's not much better,_ Cody thought. _That poor child. She has no idea what's coming. She ran away for a reason and now she's got more than Rich coming after her_. The thought of that poor girl getting forced into the position Cody was in made her feel sick. _I have to stop this_. _I'm not going to let what happened to me happen to that girl_.

"That is all for now," Master stated. "You are dismissed."

The Elite Eight bowed once more before getting up and going off in their own ways. Noah, Jared and Sam went off one way. Erik and Rich another. Paul, Shawn and Cody went off on their lonesome. Despite being able to work fairly well together, they never did anything together. Nor did they even really like one another. Cody didn't mind Shawn so much. And she could tolerate Sam and Paul, but the rest of them she couldn't stand to be around. And even with Sam and Paul, she didn't like being with them. Paul was too much of a know-it-all. He always had to prove his other team members wrong. While Sam was just too, well, annoying for a lack of a better word.

Lucas found Cody before she could find him. It seemed as if he had been waiting for her to talk about whatever it was Cody had to tell him about the night before. He was a very antsy and nervous person. If Cody told him that she had to tell him something _later_, it would bug him to the ends of Earth until he found out what it was that she had to tell him. He'd worry himself to almost having an anxiety attack.

Once Cody and Lucas were back in the girl's room, they sat down. Cody was sitting on her bed, her back to the wall and facing the older man. Lucas had sat down in the desk chair. He turned it to face the girl. His leg was bouncing up and down while his fingers were tapping on the top of his knee.

"Lucas, you need to calm down," Cody stated.

"Calm down? Calm down?" Lucas almost yelled. He realized how loud be was getting and settled down a little. When he continued on, his voice was just over a whisper. "I'm at risk of getting cause, just as much as you are. I don't want to die, okay? I haven't even gotten married nor had kids. Not that I want kids. They're sticky and make too much noise."

"I love kids," Cody said, sounding rather relaxed. It was then that she remembered the conversation that she and Kaldur had back when she was with them about kids. "I love the names Clara and Seth."

Lucas disregarded her comment and continued on his rant. "That's not the point. I'd rather have the opportunity to have them. Here I can't. And if I'm dead I can't. I want to meet a girl and have a normal, boring relationship. No more of this excitement or mystery or danger."

"When this is all over, and when you and me get out of this mess, you're getting a position at my company. You'll be in R&D or Applied Sciences. You'll be able to meet a normal girl and have a normal relationship and a normal life," Cody promised. "I swear on my life, Lucas. I won't let anything happen to you because of what you're doing for me."

"You can't promise me that," Lucas sighed. "There's no way of you knowing that you'll be able to do all of that."

"Lucas, have I ever lied to you before?" she asked.

"No," he stated.

"Have I ever led you to believe that you couldn't trust me?" Cody then asked.

"Well, no," he replied.

"And have I ever not followed through with anything I've promised you?"

"I see where you're going with this and it's not going to work," he stated. "There is no way of you knowing the future."  
"No, there isn't, but there is me knowing something that I'm following through with. I promise you that you'll get out of this alive and I'm going to make that happen. That'll happen whether it kills me or not. I'll make it happen."

"Why would you do that for someone like me? I'm the one that conducted the experiment on you," Lucas said.

"I know that," Cody said. "And I can't care. You were ordered to do so. You were afraid of saying no because you knew what Master would do to you if you did. Lucas, you're a good guy. I can see that. And you deserve to be able to right your mistakes. That's what we're doing."

"You're too good for you own wellbeing, you know that?" Lucas stated.

"I wouldn't say that," Cody said. "I've hurt a lot of people in my life and I'm not even that old."

"It's not your fault," Lucas said. "You didn't intentionally hurt them. Things happen that you can't control."

"I'd like to think that I'd be able to at least be there for someone though," Cody said. "But change in topic," she stated. "You'll never guess who I ran into last night."

"No, I won't so you'll have to just tell me," Lucas stated, shifting in his seat.

"Nightwing and Robin," she stated just loud enough for Lucas to hear.

"No," Lucas gasped. "What happened?"

"I made a deal with them. I have to sneak out tonight or tomorrow with the information on the next mission and slip it to Nightwing. We've already made the arrangement."

"The next mission is a new recruit, isn't it?" he asked. "Master's having us prepare all of the stuff for the experiment. They're going to put her through it too."

"Not if I have anything to do with it," Cody said. "I'm not going to let that poor girl go through what I did. I just have to pitch my idea to Nightwing before I go through with what I have planned though."

"What do you have planned?" Lucas asked.

"You'll see," she said, leaving him in the dark. If things went as she planned, it was best for him not to know. It kept him out of trouble and her plan was safer without him knowing. She just had to check in with Nightwing and give him the information before she put the plan into effect. It all depended on him and the girl though.

If neither of them agree, Cody had no idea how she was going to be able to save the girl from the fate Cody had.

* * *

Once again, I've got a poll up and it would really help me if you guys checked it out. PLease and thank you.


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